Solid, give them A MONTH together, and then we talk. McGrady did a very good playoffs last year, remember. He will back to that form. Yao has now more experience than last years, I think he's less afraid to the failure, we have watched him this year at a very high level -last weeks-. And finally, Yao & Tracy are our stars, but we can win with them not being spiritual leaders, thats why we have poeple like Alston, Scola, Shane, Landry, even Wafer... all the team is very well built around them. Do not listen to all these topics, and look how good (or bad) is the team as a whole.
if you wait until you prove that the team cannot win, then you are also proving to the rest of the NBA that your players cannot win. at that point, the players have no value and this board is littered with comments about "dont trade players when their stock is so low". well, you can't have it both ways. players are like stocks. if you suspect a player will decline, you have to trade him before it is proven out in the marketplace. if you believe that a stock is going to decline, and wait for proof first, then you cant sell it later.
The definition of stupid is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. DD
the first year of yao and tmac, i thought we were better than any other year. we had 2 stars, but the rest of the team just played well together. it was seriously my favorite rocket team to watch, sura, barry, even my white boy ryan bowen! tmac was at his best that year, yao was playing well. we just meshed, now, it just seems like everyone isn't quite sure what their role is. maybe it will come, maybe it won't, but i certainly don't think this team isn't capable of going the distance. certainly, in years to come, if we fail to win even one playoff series with this squad, yes, it will definitely have to be considered a failure, but that can only be determined when it is over, in hindsight
If T-Mac declines... he ends contract in 2010. But last year he was also criticized and then did it good in playoffs. He gained my confidence, at least for one more playoffs. Only needs continuity on the court. You make a trade when you have the team-scenario you expected and then the team fails. We haven't had that still, surely we're gonna have it next weeks, so let's wait and then take out more solid conclussions.
Break it up. The Rockets cannot learn. How many Philly games have they had, and they continue to have Philly games over and over.
Yeah, but the Rockets didn't win. They choked away another game in the fourth. Once is a fluke, two is bad luck. Do it over and over and over and it's not the exception, it's just who you are.
What's so depressing about this experiment was I and millions of Rockets fans out there firmly believed we'd see at least one championship won during Tmac and Yao's tenure in Houston. It's been 5 seasons since Tmac arrived and nothing close to winning a championship has happened. Most likely, either Yao or Tmac will be gone by 2010, if not sooner. Unless we are major players in the 2010 FA and we somehow pick up Dwayne Wade or another superstar player, which is highly doubtful, the Rockets have 2 seasons to bring a championship to Houston. Realistically speaking, I just don't see this happening. Quite tragic.
if you wait until 2010 to rebuild around Yao, then you are assuming that Yao will still be worth building around. at his size with the pounding he takes, do you have that confidence for the next 4-5 years? to your second point - you are speaking in an ideal case situation. IF the team is all healthy and they still lose, people will be in here talking about bad substitution patterns, Adelman's play calling, Tracy's bad shot selection, etc. This is not a championship roster as long as it cannot function under pressure. If you arent chasing a championship, what are you playing for?
We have just started the run of Tmac & Yao playing together w/ out anymore excuses (playing through injury). It's not a great start, but as I've already said, a rocky start (all things considered) is not reason to panic. I know we're in a hole, but it's not exactly a deep one. We're still in contention for homecourt in the playoffs despite this roller coaster of a season. At this point, Artest being a major factor will be a bonus. I'm counting on Tmac & Yao bringing back the swagger of last season. To be fair, they have not had much time to do it as a duo. The time for excuses is gone. Let's see if they put up or shut up. Only a sense of urgency can bring this team back.
As I’ve posted in a previous thread, the Rockets are one of only 3 teams that have not been past the first round in the last 11 years. The other two teams are Memphis and Denver, and Denver has a better shot than the Rockets at going to the second round. The Rockets need to do something now. Tracy and Ron are just not fitting in. This is not a knock against them personally, it has to do with chemistry. They need to do something major before the deadline. Some are saying to wait until 2010. Why continue the first round exists until the summer of 2010. Every team is going after the free agents that year. In other words, it is going to cost more to get those free agents. Morey doesn’t seem like the type of person that is going to over pay to get a free agent.
This season hurts way more than the last few seasons. This was supposed to be the year we turned into a western conference powerhouse, I was so optimistic about our chances when he got Ron Artest. Looking before the season at our roster, I saw no weaknesses and a boatload of talent. Well, here we are, and we aren't a top 2 team in the West yet, we are still sitting in the middle of the pack where we have always been. T-Mac is what he is, on the decline and will never reach his old form again. Artest is declining as well. The only person that is still in his prime is Yao, and he is simply not that type of leader and basketball player to carry us on his back every single game.
